source of Sharing...

[Adam Blatner]

Response to Joel's question about sharing, below.

  adam:  While this is the way I learned about it mainly from Zerka, and I found little problem in getting psychiatrists and psychotherapists to shift their way of responding when I gave them a comfortable re-direction; and this is sort of what I wrote in my book (Acting-In (1st ed., 1973, pg 82-86, on sharing; also in my 3rd edition, 1996); I don't know the actual source in any written form from Moreno. Moreno may not have actually said this; but it seemed to have been an established group norm when I learned psychodrama in the mid-1960s. 

   I'll let you know if anything else comes in.

 On Feb 19, 2008, at 9:17 AM, Adam Blatner wrote:   I don't know if this story is true, but the general outcome is right, and the phenomenon is common: i.e., that when working with most psychotherapists their desire to help and make insightful comments are offered after an enactment rather than personal "I" messages and sharing. So I would make this re-direct two or three times in many sessions.
         May I pass this along to those who might be in a better position to confirm it?  Warmly, Adam
      ----- Original Message -----
      From: Joel Gluck
      To: Adam Blatner
      Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 12:44 AM
      Subject: An Apocryphal Story?


      Hi Adam,


      Writing about the witnessing and sharing process for psolodrama, I've written a little passage referring to Moreno -- this is a story I've heard told verbally, but I'm unclear on its authenticity. Thought you might know how true it is/not and where I might find a written reference to it. 


      Thanks for any light you can shed!


      Hope you are well,
      Joel


      Moreno once gave a demonstration of psychodrama before a group of psychiatrists. Afterward, he opened the floor to questions and comments, and was horrified as the audience of professionals began to analyze and dissect the protagonist psychologically. Learning from this experience, Moreno created a different form for post-psychodrama processing. In the sharing circle, members of the group speak personally, sharing their own feelings, stories, and life experiences that relate to the journey of the protagonist. In this way, the protagonist does not feel alone in having shared personally; all members of the group are equally vulnerable.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://grouptalkweb.org/pipermail/list_grouptalkweb.org/attachments/20080220/b51f147e/attachment.html